The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has urged the Federal Government on the imperative of strengthening quality assurance and certification systems in the nation’s merchandize trade value chain as a strategic option of improving the contribution of exports to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).
The leading economic think-tank gave this charge in its latest Foreign Trade Review, pointing out that improved product standards remained critical to boosting Nigeria’s export trade competitiveness and foreign exchange earnings for the country.
The group noted that while Nigeria recorded a strong trade surplus in the first quarter of 2026, structural weaknesses in the country’s export ecosystem continued to limit its ability to fully optimize the benefits for development.
Specifically, the NESG maintained that improving product quality standards, export certification processes, and port efficiency would be key to reversing the negative impact of export rerouting trend and boosting the nation’s non-oil exports.
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The group canvassed: “Nigeria needs to strengthen quality assurance and certification systems to improve the competitiveness of locally produced goods.”
“This would also reduce the practice of export rerouting through neighbouring countries, which limits domestic value capture.”
“Export procedures and port operations also need to be streamlined to reduce delays and logistics costs.”
“Investments in infrastructure and industrial processing zones are needed to promote value addition”, it added.
Similarly, the group stated that expanding exports of processed agricultural products and light manufacturing goods would help Nigeria maximise opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
In addition to improving export infrastructure, the think-tank advised the government to deepen trade engagement with key international markets, particularly in Asia, which accounted for 55.5% of Nigeria’s merchandise imports in Q1 2026 but imported 30.3% of the country’s export goods.
It also identified China and India as major trading partners that Nigeria could explore additional export opportunities, noting that China’s two-year non-reciprocal tariff-free policy for African exports, which was introduced in May 2026, represents a major opportunity for Nigerian exporters.
While noting that Nigeria is not among the first batch of countries on shipments under the Chinese initiative, the NESG stated this underscored the imperative for the government to improve the nation’s export-readiness and competitiveness and by so doing, take advantage of China’s non-reciprocal tariff-free policy and preferential trade arrangements to Nigeria’s benefits.
